The Dodgers’ Tony Gonsolin, left, Clayton Kershaw, center, and Kristopher Negron, far right, celebrate with Kiké Hernandez after his walk-off single gave them a 3-2 victory and a series sweep of the Blue Jays on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Dodgers’ Kiké Hernandez hits a single to drive in the winning run, in front of Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen and home plate umpire Pat Hoberg during the ninth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda gets set to pitch during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 22: Kenta Maeda #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo, left, greets Randal Grichuk as he returns to the dugout after scoring the first run of the game during the second inning on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Enrique Hernandez throws out Toronto Blue Jays’ Derek Fisher at first during the second inning of a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 22: Jacob Waguespack #62 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Kenta Maeda watches a foul ball during the third inning of the team’s baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. Maeda singled on the at-bat. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 22: Kenta Maeda #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers singles in front of Danny Jansen #9 of the Toronto Blue Jays during the third inning at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 22: Kenta Maeda #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. watches his solo home run during the sixth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda shows his frustration after the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a solo home run during the sixth inning of Thursday’s game at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda shows his frustration after the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a solo home run during the sixth inning of Thursday’s game at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 22: Luis Rivera #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates the solo homerun of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27, to take a 2-0 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, left, speaks with starting pitcher Kenta Maeda in the dugout at the end of the sixth inning of Thursday’s game against the Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger watches the action from the dugout during the third inning of Thursday’s game against the Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 22: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers slides into second base with a double, behind Bo Bichette #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays, during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 22: Corey Seager #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two run double, to score Max Muncy #13 and Cody Bellinger #35, to tie the Toronto Blue Jays 2-2, during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 22: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after his run from a Corey Seager #5 double, to tie the game 2-2 with the Toronto Blue Jays, during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Dodgers’ Kiké Hernandez hits a single to drive in the winning run, next to Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen during the ninth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Dodgers’ Kiké Hernandez hits a walk-off single for a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning of Thursday’s game at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Dodgers’ Kiké Hernandez tosses his bat after hitting a single to drive in the winning run, next to Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen during the ninth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Dodgers’ Kiké Hernandez gestures while running to first with a s single that drove in the winning run during the ninth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Dodgers’ Corey Seager, center, scores the winning run on a single by Kiké Hernandez as Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen, right, misses the throw during the ninth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Dodgers won 3-2. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Dodgers’ Kiké Hernandez celebrates his walk-off single in their 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays in the bottom of the ninth inning on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Dodgers’ Kiké Hernandez celebrates his walk-off single with David Freese #25, for a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Dodgers’ Kiké Hernandez, right rear, is chased by a teammate after hitting a single to drive in the winning run during the ninth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Dodgers won 3-2. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Dodgers’ Tony Gonsolin, left, Clayton Kershaw, center, and Kristopher Negron, far right, celebrate with Kiké Hernandez after his walk-off single gave them a 3-2 victory and a series sweep of the Blue Jays on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Dodgers’ Kiké Hernandez celebrates is doused with a cooler of sports drink by teammates Chris Taylor, left, and Russell Martin after driving in the winning run during the ninth inning of their 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays on Thursday night. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Shut out and held to one hit through eight innings, the Dodgers rallied in the ninth for their 12th walk-off win of the season, scoring three times to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Thursday night.

The major-league high 12 walk-off wins are part of a 51-16 record at Dodger Stadium – the best home record in baseball.

“We’re pretty good at home, I guess. That’s about all I’ve got for you. I don’t know if there is anything else to say,” said shortstop Corey Seager, who tied the score with a two-run double then scored the winning run on Kiké Hernandez’s RBI single.

“You kind of expect to win every night. I think you have to have that mentality. We’ve been really good at staying in the moment, not getting ahead (of ourselves). You don’t give up. So even in the ninth inning, you go out there and you battle and you grind.”

According to Stats LLC, the Dodgers have trailed in the ninth inning or later in 23 home games this season and came back to win seven of those (30.4 percent). No team since 1920 has won 30 percent of the home games in which they trailed in the ninth inning or later.

“It seems like we’ve talked about it 12 times where you expect it,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “You don’t know who it’s going to be. But after that walk (a leadoff walk by Max Muncy), I think they even felt it. So you start having that and it manifests itself.

“Guys want to be in that spot. But to be in that spot – to have a chance to be the hero – but to take a base hit, take a walk to then give another guy an opportunity that’s what we do very well.”

The Dodgers have done it so often now they have to add a twist to build the drama. Thursday night, they did it by managing just one hit – by their starting pitcher, Kenta Maeda, no less – through eight innings.

After scoring 16 runs in the series opener and hitting seven home runs in the first two games of the interleague series, the Dodgers were tamed by Jays starter Jacob Waguespack.

A 37th-round draft pick out of high school but undrafted out of Ole Miss, the 6-foot-6 Waguespack signed with the Phillies and was traded to the Blue Jays at the deadline last year. He was 2-6 with a 5.30 ERA at Triple-A Buffalo when the Blue Jays decided they needed some of that and Waguespack made his major-league debut in May. Since then, he has gone 4-1 with a 3.63 ERA.

The Dodgers came into the game with the majors’ best slugging percentage (.492) and OPS (.840) against right-handed pitching. But Maeda’s third-inning single was their only hit in seven innings against Waguespack and he retired the final 14 batters he faced.

“We just didn’t have a feel for the pitcher tonight, their guy. Unfamiliar with him and a different kind of arm stroke, stuff doing a lot of different things,” Roberts said. “We didn’t take a whole lot of good swings tonight, really. You’ve got to give credit to their guy. … We really just couldn’t put the barrel on it.”

The Blue Jays didn’t fare much better against Maeda but they took a 2-0 lead into the ninth inning. That kept the score close enough for the Dodgers’ nightly walk-off heroics.

Wednesday’s hero, Muncy, lit the spark with a leadoff walk against Jays reliever Derek Law. With one out, Cody Bellinger doubled into the right field corner to put the tying runs in scoring position.

Seager drove them in with a double – his ninth double in his past 12 games. That brought up Hernandez, who started the night catching a ceremonial first pitch from his sister with fans collecting his bobblehead at the gates.

He took a ball then took a big swing and miss at a slider to even the count. Law went to the slider again but Hernandez shortened up and punched it into center field for the game-winning hit.

“I was trying to stay short, really trying not to do too much,” Hernandez said. “In that situation, the pressure is all on him. He just gave up a two-run lead, the winning run is at second base and he still has to get two outs.

“It was about staying short, not trying to do too much. I was able to stay through it. Got it off the end (of the bat) a little bit but got enough of it that it got over the infielders’ heads.”

Bill Plunkett has covered everything from rodeo to Super Bowls to boxing (yeah, I was there the night Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ear off) during a career that started far too long ago to mention and eventually brought him to the OC some time last century (1999 actually). He has been covering Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register since 2003, spending time on both the Angels and Dodgers beats.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.